Comparison

Art Raffle vs Paint by Code

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Art Raffle

This app helps you choose tangle patterns and art enhancers for your Zentangle® projects by randomly selecting digital cards. Each card provides detailed information, step-outs, and links to lessons, offering a fun and educational way to explore new artistic possibilities.

Highlights
  • Random card selection
  • Curated tangle patterns
  • Art enhancer prompts
  • Detailed card information
  • Step-by-step guides
  • Save custom raffles
  • Gestural controls
Read full description

If you have a hard time choosing tangle patterns for your Zentangle® project, let the universe decide. Eni Oken's Art Raffle is based on her successful "Bijou Raffle" lesson: pull out random cards with tangle patterns and art enhancers to inspire you to create Zentangle® like you never have done before. In this beautifully elegant digital version, you can select up to 8 different cards, randomly selected from a collection curated and prepared by Eni herself. You can save different raffle selections and even search to easily find your favorite cards. LEARN SO MUCH MORE WITH EACH CARD But that's just the beginning, this digital version does so much more than the traditional game. The BACK OF EACH CARD contains a wealth of information about the tangle or art enhancer: step-outs, descriptions, links to samples and lessons. The game is so soothing and addictive you'll find yourself perusing the cards randomly just to learn more about each card! ELEGANT GESTURAL COMMANDS The game is made to behave as closely to the real raffle game as possible. Gestures such as flicking, tapping and zooming in make this game super fun to play. You can even move the cards around! SAVE RAFFLE GAMES You can save raffle games for later and create as many raffles as you like. Rename and edit the raffle games, discard cards or add different ones. MORE CARDS COMING This introductory version comes with a starter pack of tangle patterns, art enhancer prompts and strings. This is just the beginning, more cards are coming soon! YES, IT'S ENTIRELY FREE The Zentangle world has quite literally saved Eni's life after battling stage 4 cancer. Today she is a CZT (Certified Zentangle Teacher) and teaches hundreds of students through video lessons and live online classes via her Art Club. This app, which took many months to develop, is Eni's profound and sincere THANK YOU gift to this loving and nurturing artistic community! Wishing you a happy Art Raffle! Copyright 2020 Eni Oken Designs, Inc. Developed by Blind View Studios.

About

Paint by Code

Features
Read full description

Paint by Code turns your favorite photos into beautiful paint-by-numbers canvases — ready to color in the app or print at home. HOW IT WORKS 1. Add a photo from your library or camera 2. Choose your style — 8 to 24 colors, detail level, and canvas format 3. Generate your numbered canvas with a matching color legend 4. Paint in the app with Apple Pencil, or export to print FEATURES • Smart region detection — clear, paintable areas • Numbered canvas with color legend matched to your palette • Paint mode with Apple Pencil support • Colored pencil matching — see which real pencil matches each color • Export & print — A4, Letter, or square format • Save canvases locally on your device PERFECT FOR • Creative relaxation and mindfulness • Personalized gifts from your own photos • Family projects and rainy-day activities • Artists who love paint-by-numbers Everything runs on your device. Your photos stay private — no account needed, no cloud required. Start with any photo. Finish with something you made.

Screenshots

Art Raffle4 screens
Paint by Code1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Art Raffle at Free against Paint by Code's $3.99. Art Raffle also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.2). Paint by Code's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Art Raffle is free to download; Paint by Code costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Art Raffle ships an update every 5 weeks, Paint by Code every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Art Raffle versus Paint by Code: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArt RafflePaint by Code
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating5.0 (114 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews98.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings114 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size440 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlan ThomsonTom Paape

Bugs and requests

Art Raffle

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Black screen on iPhone
  • Disappearing tangle tiles

Requested features

3 requests
  • Option to upload photos of created tiles
  • Regular updates with more content
  • Option to add own cards

Paint by Code

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Art Raffle

No in-app purchases

None

Paint by Code

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Art Raffle free?
Art Raffle is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Paint by Code free?
Paint by Code costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Art Raffle or Paint by Code have ads?
Neither Art Raffle nor Paint by Code shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Art Raffle or Paint by Code?
Art Raffle ships an update every 5 weeks, and Paint by Code every 10 days. Most recently, Art Raffle was updated on October 8, 2026 and Paint by Code on September 28, 2026.

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